Center in the News

Laicie Olson quoted by National Journal on sequestration

Senior Policy Analyst Laicie Olson was quoted by Kevin Baron in the Saturday, July 21, 2012 edition of National Journal.

If Democrats put forward more than just Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s deputy—perhaps even the Joint Chiefs themselves, who have already come out against the GOP’s proposal to increase the military’s budget request—then the pressure will grow to strike a large-scale agreement. Top officers have indicated they prefer that Congress pass a permanent solution to sequester rather than temporary patches that buy lawmakers time. “I’m definitely sensing an increase in the push on sequestration [from Democrats]. I know we’re coming down to the line,” said Laicie Olson, a senior policy analyst with the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, which is partnered with the liberal-leaning Truman Project.

Olson said that it would surprise almost no one if more administration officials, or even military brass like the Joint Chiefs, asked the Hill with more urgency to make a sequestration deal. But not by November. “Nothing’s going to happen until after the elections,” she said, with a hint of regret.

Read the rest of the article, by Kevin Baron, on National Journal's paid site here.